Archive for March, 2011

Third –graders at Washington Magnet Elementary put into practice what they learned in reading the book Lemonade Wars, which teaches economics in describing the competing lemonade stands operated by Evan and his younger sister, Jessie.

The four third-grade classes are using the concepts they learned in the book to market and sell lemonade at school. They have designed marketing campaigns with posters and t-shirts and developed incentives to encourage purchase of their lemonade. The lemonade competition will continue at the school’s fund raising fun day planned for April 2.

Teachers added another dimension to the project by including Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Money raised by the students’ sale of lemonade will go to the foundation that helps children who suffer from cancer. You can donate to the foundation in the school’s name.

Wang Guangfa, businessman, philanthropist, educator and the driving force behind the Beijing Royal School of Beijing, China, visited Millbrook Magnet High. Wang visited classrooms as part of his research on US teaching styles and discussed a possible exchange program with a group of interested students.

Millbrook Magnet High principal Dana King and Dr. Grant Holley of NC State University think the prospect of an international exchange program between the Wake County Public School System and the Beijing Royal School would be exciting, but they say Wang and the school system still have many details to consider.

Millbrook Magnet High Principal Dana King and Wang Guangfa of the Beijing Royal School with the help of his interperter talk with Millbrook Chinese students about the establishment of a student exchange program.

Mr. Wang praised Millbrook Magnet High Principal Dana King complementing her leadership of the high school, its IB Diploma Programme and its new Chinese language classes.

Six of the 60 WCPSS students named 2011 NC Teaching Fellows are seniors at Broughton High. The Teaching Fellows Program provides a $6,500 per year scholarship for four years at one of 17 North Carolina colleges or universities in turn for the student agreeing to teach for four years in one of North Carolina’s public schools.

Two Enloe Magnet High students beat out more than 24,000 other participants for top spots in America’s largest high school essay contest conducted by the Bill of Rights Institute.

Freshman Stuart Wells earned Second Place and $1,000 and freshman Qingyang Xing earned third place and $500. Wells and Xing’s sponsoring teacher, Cameron O’Quinn, received matching cash prizes. The students represented the South Atlantic Region in the fifth annual national Being an American Essay Contest.

Wells, Xing, and O’Quinn also won paid trips to the nation’s capital, where they were honored on March 22 at an awards gala emceed by Juan Williams and featuring a keynote address by John Stossel. The Washington, D.C. trip also included a Capitol Hill luncheon and tours of the U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court, and National Archives.

The students shared their thoughts on American citizenship by answering the following question: “What civic value do you believe is most essential to being an American?”

In his essay, Wells selected “responsibility” as the civic value topic and thought James K. Polk, eleventh President of the United States, most embodied the American character. In his essay, Wells wrote, “Responsibility is the Civic Value that keeps America strong. Through its binding nature, responsibility keeps people on the right track, and gives the average American power over the government that they would otherwise not have. It is only through our citizen’s responsibility that America stays strong in this ever-changing world.”

In her essay, Xing selected “initiative” as the civic value topic and thought Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company, most embodied the American character. Xing wrote, “In America, if one takes chances and works hard, one can succeed beyond one’s wildest dreams: from the leaders of the fledgling country of America, to the pamphlets written by Thomas Paine, to Henry Ford, the prominent American industrialist who revolutionized the automobile industry, to the millions of immigrants who arrive here to start a new life. The pivotal step to success is to take the leap of faith, taking initiative to get the show on the road.”

Lacy Elementary is planning an Earth Day Celebration on April 4. Students will take part in an Earth Day assembly, will have grade-level speakers and will work on an art project. In each classroom, students will use scrap exchange items to create a multi-grade level art panel for display in the school. Through the Earth Day celebration, students will learn about taking care of the environment by re-using, and recycling.

The 3rd grade teachers and students at Washington GT Magnet Elementary School are having a Lemonade War to earn funds for Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a charity that benefits pediatric cancer research. The event will occur on the school grounds on Saturday morning, April 2. Students will hold a walkathon and other family friendly events and sell lemonade to earn money for the charity.

From students’ study of the book, The Lemonade War, came the idea for classes to run competitive lemonade stands to raise money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand. Before her death at age 8, Alex sold lemonade to fund cancer research for children like her who had cancer. Now, students at Washington, while learning about literature, economics, and the meaning of service learning, join others across the United States to carry on Alex’s mission to help other children who have cancer.

Thanks to Principal Peggy Beasley Rodgers for sharing this story with GotNews.

The Sanderson High student council earned two prestigious awards in the past week. The North Carolina Association of Student Councils (NCASC) named the Sanderson students the Louise Hunter Honor Council at the 85th annual State Convention this past weekend. Sanderson’s council has received this state honor every year since 2001-02. Only 24 schools in the state received the honor this year.

The National Association of Student Councils (NASC) named the Sanderson students a National Gold Council of Excellence. Sanderson received this honor based on its exemplary record of leadership, service, and activities that serve to improve the school and community. Sanderson has received this national recognition every year since 2006-07. Only 144 schools across the nation received this honor.

Middle Creek High cheerleaders earned the Grand Champion title in the North Carolina Cheerleading Coaches Association (NCCCA) State Championships on Feb. 12. WCPSS high schools had outstanding performances: